United Way of Wapello County

08/31/2026

Our Community Food Pantry Gardens bring neighbors together to fight hunger in Wapello County, and with harvest season, we need helping hands to w**d, water, and harvest.

No green thumb? No problem! Our Master Gardener volunteers will show you the ropes.

Come for a single workday or dig in as a regular; every hand makes a difference.

Grow Food. Grow Community. The United Way Community Food Pantry Gardens bring neighbors together to fight hunger and build a healthier Wapello County. Our mission is simple: grow fresh, nutritious produce and share it with local food pantries so everyone has access to healthy meals.

08/31/2026

We're so grateful and honored to be a part of Dolly's legacy. If you have a child under the age of 5, your family could be a part of that legacy as well, and can receive a free book in the mail every month through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Sign your child up and start building or adding to their home library!

Sign up here: https://imaginationlibrary.com/us/affiliate/IAWAPELLO/S/

08/30/2026

You’re Invited to the Next Vitality Café, a FREE in-person event — open to ALL — with a FREE lunch and great company!

Vitality Café: From Stories to Strong Families

Wednesday, September 16th

1:00pm – 3:00pm

SIEDA Community Action
725 W 2nd St, Ottumwa, IA 52501

Every Café is a NEW experience: new topics, new friends, and always a good time! It’s the perfect chance to connect, learn, and share your own stories while treating yourself to some “me” time.

✅ Registration required — link in the comments/bio!

📣 Spread the word — share this post, tag a friend, and bring someone along!

08/26/2026

🦋📚 In Loving Memory of Dolly Parton 📚🦋

Today, we join millions around the world in mourning Dolly Parton, who passed away on August 25 at age 80. Dolly will be remembered as a music icon. Still, here in Wapello County, we remember her just as much for a gift she gave our youngest neighbors: Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

Dolly started the program in 1995 in her home county in Tennessee, inspired by her father, who never learned to read. Her idea was simple: mail every child, from birth to age five, one free, age-appropriate book each month, no matter their family's income. That idea has grown into a movement that has delivered more than 330 million books to children worldwide.

Since our Wapello County program began in 2021, it has reached 1,935 local kids. Right now, 933 children are enrolled and receiving a book every month, and 1,002 have already "graduated" at age five with a home library built one mailing at a time.

Dolly's family has asked that gifts in her memory be directed to the Imagination Library.

If you'd like to enroll a child or support this program here at home, visit wapellocouw.org/dpil.

Thank you, Dolly, for making sure every child could have a book of their own. 🚂

08/25/2026

⛳📚What a day for Swing for Literacy this past Saturday!

A huge thank you to all 26 teams who came out to swing clubs in support of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Wapello County!

Your registration, sponsorships, and showing up help put free books in the hands of local kids every month.

Thank you for playing, thank you for giving, and thank you for helping us grow a love of reading right here in Wapello County!

📸 Please tag yourself in your photos + send us yours! We'd love to see them; drop them in the comments or send them to [email protected]

Dream More. Learn More. Care More. Be More.

📚 What was your favorite storybook as a kid? Let us know in the comments (we might just feature it!)

See you next year! 💛📖

08/22/2026

⛳📚 The Swing for Literacy Golf Tournament is underway this morning, and we couldn’t ask for a more beautiful day on the fairway!

📖 Every $3 donated provides a free book to a local child through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Wapello County!

A great big THANK YOU to our golfers, sponsors, and volunteers for helping make today possible! A special shout-out to Cedar Creek Golf Course for hosting us, and to our amazing staff — Toni, Robin, Brenda, and Peggy — for the heart and hard work they poured into pulling this event together.

🚂 Want to support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library? Head to Cedar Creek Golf Course before 2 PM; it’s free to stop by, and you can bid on our raffle items!

📚 Can’t make it today? You can donate or enroll a child anytime, 24/7, at wapellocouw.org/dpil

06/20/2026

📚Now Available! Parent Reading Tips in the Parent Area!
We’re excited to share a new resource for families enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library!

Families can now access Parent Reading Tips through the Parent Area on the Imagination Library website. These tips include fun activities, conversation starters, and ways to make reading together even more meaningful — all organized by age group and book title.

To access the resource:

・Visit the Parent Area on the Imagination Library website at Imagination Library Parent Area
https://imaginationlibrary.com/news-resources/parent-resources/usa/
・Log in to your account
・Click the “Parent Reading Tips” button in the left sidebar menu
・If the sidebar is not visible, click the yellow menu button to open it
・Browse activities by age group or by book

We hope these new reading tips help families create even more special moments together through the joy of reading!

United is the Way to Raise a Reader 📚

06/15/2026

❣️Urgent Volunteer Need❣️Milestones Meal Delivery

Milestones Area Agency on Aging provides home-delivered meals to individuals who are disabled or without transportation in the Ottumwa area.

Volunteers are needed for once or twice-a-week delivery in the Ottumwa area.

Routes are established, and they will even place you where you would be most familiar.

Usually, 5-10 meals are delivered, and the delivery takes 30-45 minutes.

To begin this very worthy service, you can sign up online at https://conta.cc/4ejJYME or contact Peggy Fisher ([email protected]) | 641-682-1264

06/15/2026

⛳Swing for Literacy!
📚It's Tee Time for a Great Cause!

We're hitting the links to raise books for Wapello County's littlest readers, and we want YOU to join us!

🗓️ August 22, 2026
📍 Cedar Creek Golf Course, Ottumwa

🕗 Check-in 8:00 AM | Sh***un Start 9:00 AM
💵 $65 per golfer | $260 per team (prepay)
Entry includes golf, cart, beverages & lunch!

Plus: 50/50 · Hole Prizes · Mulligans · Flighted Awards

Want to support without swinging a club?
We have sponsorship opportunities too; because every dollar counts!

Team Sponsor — $260
Event Sponsor — $100 or more

We know the economy is tough, and we are grateful for whatever you can give.

Every single dollar raised goes directly to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Wapello County, putting free books in the hands of local children from birth to age five.

United is the Way to Youth Success.

Register or sponsor today!
Register online: https://www.wapellocouw.org/charity-golf-tournament
or contact Toni Cameron
📧 [email protected]
☎️ 641-682-1264

06/01/2026

✉️ Happy National Pen Pal Day!

Writing letters does so much for elementary students: it builds literacy skills, boosts confidence, and shows kids their community cares about them.

And all it takes from you is 1-2 letters a month. You write the letters, and we handle the rest!

We're looking for pen pal volunteers for students in Ottumwa and Fairfield for the 2026–27 school year.

Sign up two ways:

Complete our Volunteer Interest Form and select Pen Pals under Programs: https://forms.office.com/r/T6gYHCuDp9
or call 641-682-1264 and ask for Robin or Peggy